MUSIC: Masta Killa Slays The PVD Social Club

Hip-hop reigned supreme in Providence this week when Wu-Tang Clan's Masta Killa headlined at the PVD Social Club.

This Tuesday at The PVD Social Club, hip-hop reigned supreme as Masta Killa from the world famous Wu-Tang Clan headlined a stacked bill that brought the beats and spat the rhymes. With Chris Jungles from The Scene Machine hosting, DJ Martone on the 1's & 2's along with Kudos & Dracc, Sun B, N.Y.C.H.E.E, Outta Here Productions, Kid Karma, Street Kred, Illinoise, Krews, Syintifik and Lyricks rounding out the lineup. This past Tuesday, The PVD Social Club was the place to be for some of the best hip-hop you'll ever see.

Kudos & Dracc

Hip Hop duo Kudos & Dracc went up first and got the crowd hyped up with their infectious energy and strong stage presence. People enjoyed it and their performance gave the perfect vibe to start the evening. I never heard of Kudos & Dracc before I saw them tonight but I hope I get to see them again.

Sun B

New York City's Sun B went up for a brief and emphatic performance, giving shout outs to the east coast while also keeping a nice flow. His lyrics were poetic and hit straight to the psyche, it was almost like he was doing it with a stream of consciousness style. It's no wonder that a guy from The Big Apple can rap, but Sun B definitely made it real and genuine.

N.Y.C.H.E.E.

At first when N.Y.C.H.E.E. started I enjoyed the production quality of his songs but I thought his lyrics could have been better. As time moved on, material like "Good & Bad" with Sun B joining him on stage and a killer a cappella freestyle mirroring Sun B's finale grew on me. The big man from New York City definitely made his presence felt for a short and sweet set.

Outta Here Productions

Outta Here Productions featuring Unique Linguist, Redi, J Chem, Souk and Manny Mann went up on stage and it was awesome, they showed intense cohesion and worked the crowd to no end. My only problem with it was apparently the sound guy that was working the board had no idea how to level microphones to save his life, one mic sounded loud while another would sound soft. I couldn't blame Outta Here Productions though, they gave their heart and soul out on stage and it was something special.

Kid Karma

A 19 year old whiz kid from The Nutmeg State, Kid Karma fed off the vitality of the audience and laid down one heck of a performance that had everyone clapping. "Echoes", "Move On" and "So Marvelous" featuring Danny The Godsend were part of a short set but I'm definitely going to check out more stuff from Kid Karma. Rumor is that Karma and Danny will also be doing a music video for "So Marvelous", so be on the look out for that.

Street Kred

West Warwick rap duo Street Kred consisting of RobTre and Jay Kirwin along with special guest The Problem Child had a combination of beats that are comparable to what you hear on the radio nowadays and rhymes that exhibited a heart on the sleeve style in which I totally dug. They kept the theme of getting everybody riled up for what was to come, and I was excited to see what was happening next.

Illinoise

Another local hip hop group in Illinoise came up on stage, they got everyone's attention by being in your face and having great structure with their rhymes. My only criticism is that I wish their beats had more dimensions on most of their songs, it kind of felt like some of them were on a loop or something. Overall I did like it and I think Illinoise has a lot of potential to be a force in the Rhode Island hip-hop scene, they just have to hone their craft.

Krews

Krews had the crowd right against the stage and going absolutely crazy, definitely had the fanfare for a legit performance. Moving around all sides of the stage, Krews was a monster blowing fire through the microphone. Even including a dynamic freestyle, Krews made me look forward to seeing him again and looking up any of his music.

Syintifik

Freestyling seemed to be a contagious disease that did nothing to ail and did everything to please as Syintifik kicked things off with blistering rhymes and an old school style that had me enjoying every minute. Calling contemporary hip-hop "bubblegum" and bringing genuine beats and lyrics that had people putting their hands up in the air like they didn't care. Syintifik was excellent at getting the crowd involved, go check him out next time you hear about him in your hometown.

DJ Ruckiz + Lyricks

DJ Ruckiz went up and spun a bunch of excellent hip-hop as D.C.'s Korean rap sensation Lyricks took things over. Starting it off with giving away a free Wu-Tang t-shirt, Lyricks had people bobbing their heads and getting down with Ruckiz spinning the beats behind him. A mutual feeling of constant energization between the crowd and the MC, Lyricks exhibited the ability to rap words of intelligence while at the same time putting you in the mood to party. Lyricks is bound to come up to Providence again, you should absolutely check him out when he does.

Masta Killa

Ruckiz was still on stage and Jungles was getting everybody ready for the final act of the night. The anxiety was filling up the room and Masta Killa went up on stage and started it off with the Wu-Tang classic "Da Mystery Of Chessboxin'" then into GZA's "Duel Of The Iron Mic","Digi Warfare", "No Said Date", "One Blood Under W", "Grab The Mic", "School", "Pass The Bone", "Things Just Ain't The Same", "Ringin' Bells", "Soul & Substance", "R U Listening?", "It's What It Is", "Old Man", a smooth medley of the Wu-Tang anthems "C.R.E.A.M", "Shame On A Nigga", "Wu Tang Clan Ain't Nothin' To Fuck It" and "Method Man" and "Masta Killa" closed out one hell of a show. An amazing night of real hip-hop for all, stop on by The PVD on 71 Richmond Street in Providence to get your fill on whats going on.